Question

Why are ferns larger than mosses, as a general rule? Is the thing we refer to as a fern a sporophyte or a gametophyte?

Answer 1

ferns have roots and vascular tissue .therefore it can grow larger than moss .moss have no roots to extract water from the soil and no vascular tissue to transport water within plant .evolutionarily the addition of 2 types of vascular tissue is allowed the fern to grow up and out rather than just spreading along the ground . they are capable of primary growth but not increase in diameter or secondary growth is absent

in ferns the multicellular sporophyte is what we commonly recognized as a fern plant . it bears sporangia which has spores in it .spores are haploid . this spores germinate in to gametophyte plant .the gametophyte is bisexual . it bears archigonium or female structure and antheridium male structure . the flagellated sperm from antheridium fuse with ovum in archigonium . the fertilized egg grows in to a new sporophytic fern plant